Henry Cuellar: in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 11 printed in house report 111-256. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. cuellar: madam chair, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment.

Henry Cuellar: the clerk: amendment number 11 printed in house report 111-256 off texas. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 746, the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar, and a member opposed, will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. cuellar: thank you, madam chair. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

Henry Cuellar: the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cuellar: madam chair, i rise today in support of my amendment to the student aid and fiscal responsibility act of 2009, which i believe is susceptible to the chairman, chairman miller. i certainly want to thank chairman miller for the leadership he's provided. the ranking member, mr. kline, or the work he's been doing in the committee. and i certainly want to than

Henry Cuellar: him. madam chair, at time when our nation's udents need it the most, this legislation makes it where we can make some changes to the student lending, one of the biggest changes we've seen in years and years. while this bill makes tremendous investmen in education, too many potential colle students may be unaware of it. unfortunately, today, there's many students, especially those

Henry Cuellar: who may be the first in their families to apply to college or who may come from disadvantaged communities that ill-informed about student loans. many students are not aware of the opportunities available to them or of the responsibilities that follow from taking out a loan. this lack of information will

Henry Cuellar: arrange from students deciding that college is too expensive or those who default on their loans after graduation. when you look at some states that have been impacted, this particular amendment will call on the secretary to work with colleges, universities to educate students about the repayment of federal direct loans, and this amendment will help cut excessive default

Henry Cuellar: rates that threaten the eligib schools from participating in this federal student aid program. my home state of texas has one of the highest student loan default rates in the country, and financial aid directors in my district have cited a lack of information and outreach as a primary cause. as we make college more accessible to all americans, we

Henry Cuellar: need to make sure that students and their families have the information so they can make recent and informed decisions. the simple but important amendment will increase to student awareness of financial aid opportunities, help prevent